Ali Neeson
| duration = 2007-2008, 2018 to present | played by = Dario Coates (2007-2008) James Burrows (2018-) }} Alexander "Ali" Neeson is the biological son of Michelle Connor and her late partner Dean, but was accidentally switched at birth with Ryan Connor and raised by Nick and Wendy Neeson. For nearly the entirety of his young life, Alex was blissfully unaware about the mix-up at Weatherfield General which had left him swapped at birth with another child - Ryan. However, when Alex fell ill in 2007 - and was rushed to hospital - it was revealed that his blood group was significantly different from Nick's which meant that it wasn't possible for Alex to be his son. Despite jumping to the conclusion that Wendy had engaged in an affair, Nick later worked out what had happened and began stalking Ryan. When Michelle realised what was going on she confronted Nick, who was able to persuade her to do a DNA test. Upon finding out that Alex was her real son, Michelle allowed him to stay at the Rovers Return for as long as he wanted. Although, she ultimately went back on her word and sent Alex home to Nick and Wendy when he began causing havoc on the street. This caused their relationship to completely break down and the pair lost contact. Returning to the area in February 2018, Alex was now going by the name Ali and was working as a trainee general practitioner at Rosamund Street Medical Centre. While he originally led Michelle to believe that he wanted nothing to do with her, it was later revealed that he had requested to be moved to the medical centre closest to her as he wanted to get to know his birth mother. His plans were once again ruined by Ryan, who returned to the area in May but the "brothers" were eventually able to bond. However, Ryan brought trouble to their doorstep in October when drug lord Ronan Truman accused him of causing the death of his son Cormac. Ronan soon began terrorising the family, and led them on a high-speed car chase which resulted in Ali intentionally murdering him in order to protect his loved ones. Biography 1992-2007: Upbringing and baby swap discovery Born on 14th January 1992 to Dean and Michelle Connor at Weatherfield General, Alex was accidentally swapped at birth with Nick and Wendy Neeson's son Ryan. Believing Alex to be theirs, the Neesons raised him as their own for the majority of his young life until 2007 when Alex fell ill and was rushed to hospital. Upon having his bloods taken it was discovered that Alex's blood group was significantly different from Nick's which meant that it wasn't possible for Alex to be his biological son. The revelation caused Nick and Wendy to split, as he believed that she had engaged in an affair. However, Wendy denied any wrongdoing and took a DNA test which confirmed that Alex wasn't her son either. A doctor explained that a possible explanation was that their child had been accidentally mixed up with another baby born around the same time. In order to get the answers the couple needed, Nick hired a private detective who discovered that there was only one other baby born on the same ward and at the same time as Alex - leaving Nick to believe that this child, Ryan, was their real son. 2007-2008: Truth about his parentage After Nick began to stalk Ryan around Christmas 2007, Michelle decided to confront Nick after discovering his house in Sale. Michelle was shocked when Alex answered the door as he greatly resembled Dean. Nick later explained to Michelle that he believed Alex and Ryan were swapped at birth but she accused him of lying. However, she was later persuaded by Nick to take a DNA test. Ryan ran away when he found out about Nick's claims and waited outside his house. Alex approached him and demanded to know why he had been hanging around. Ryan refused and walked away from him, but Alex was persistent and wrestled him to the ground. When Ryan refused once more, Alex punched him. Ryan told him that Nick claimed to be his father and that he and Alex were swapped at birth. Alex was incredulous and punched him a second time causing the two to fight. They tumbled on to the road and Alex was hit by car. The two boys were then taken to hospital with no major injuries. The DNA test results showed that Nick's claims were true - Alex and Ryan had indeed been swapped at birth and Alex was Michelle's biological son. Nick informed Michelle that Alex, like Ryan, wanted things to stay as they were and he didn't want to see her. Despite this decision, Michelle waited for Alex outside his school and introduced herself as his mother, giving him her number and telling him to contact her if he ever wanted to talk. This led to Michelle feeling guilty and she panicked when Alex arrived at the Rovers to see her. He told her that he had never been happy with Nick and Wendy. When Michelle and Alex arranged to meet again, she was hurt when he stood her up. When Michelle's parents visited for her brother Liam's wedding, Alex insisted that he wanted to meet his family and, much to the annoyance of Michelle, introduced himself to her mother as her real grandson. This made Alex feel guilty and he apologised to Michelle, who agreed to talk with him about the family history. This caused Ryan to clash with Alex once again because he thought Alex was intruding on his life. When Alex arrived on Coronation Street once again to see Michelle, he told Norris Cole in The Kabin that he was Michelle's son and that he and Ryan were swapped. Nick rang Michelle to tell her that Alex had run away, and Alex was caught shoplifting. He was escorted to the Rovers by a Police Officer after telling them he lived there and Michelle agreed to let him stay after he claimed he was not happy with Nick or Wendy. Alex's stay at the Rovers caused much tension and Michelle constantly had to defend him against Vernon and Liz. Alex also constantly refused to move back with Wendy and was allowed to stay for longer and longer. When Alex let Steve's daughter Amy wander off, Alex locked himself in the pub when he realised how angry Steve was. Alex unlocked the door when Michelle told him he could stay as long as he wanted. His prolonged presence at the Rovers caused Ryan to move in with Liam and Maria. Michelle also stopped Wendy from taking Alex home, arguing he could stay as long as he wanted. Michelle, however, soon realised that Alex couldn't stay forever and arranged for Wendy to take him home. This caused Alex to refuse to see Michelle again because she went back on her word. Michelle became upset when Ryan started to see Nick and was especially frustrated because Alex wouldn't see her. Steve, however, persuaded Alex to meet up with her again after seeing how upset she was. Alex met up with Michelle again and she decided to visit her parents in Ireland with Alex so that he could meet the family. Alex slowly lost touch with Michelle, only getting the occasional birthday or Christmas card. Michelle also favoured contact with Ryan over Alex, which hurt Alex a lot. Over the next decade, Alex got into the medical profession, and by early 2018, he was a trainee GP. 2018-: Back in Michelle's life In February 2018, Alex, now going by the nickname "Ali", was put on a work placement at Rosamund Street Medical Centre but didn't think much of it as he thought Michelle had moved away by that point. In actuality, Michelle still lived nearby and worked at Nick's Bistro on the opposite end of Coronation Street. Liz McDonald, Michelle's former mother-in-law, worked at the medical centre as a receptionist, and was surprised to learn the "hot" new GP starting at the centre was actually Alex. Background information from 2007 until 2008]] *Dario Coates appeared originally in the role from December 2007 to April 2008, in which Alex was a recurring character. The character was reintroduced just under a decade later in February 2018, with James Burrows taking over the role and appearing as a regular.https://www.mirror.co.uk/tv/tv-news/coronation-street-star-james-burrows-12035039 * Had Alex not gone by his nickname following his return in 2018, there would've been confusion due to there already being an Alex in the show - Alex Warner. First and last lines "Yeah?" (First line, to Michelle Connor) Appendices (To be completed) List of addreses Employment history See also *Full list of appearances Category:Coronation Street characters Category:Connor family Category:1992 births Category:Rovers residents Category:Neeson family Category:Doctors Category:Characters played by different actors Category:Students Category:Residents of 9 Victoria Court Category:2007 debuts Category:Current characters Category:Viaduct Bistro staff